COVIDConversations

Institute of Community Reporters

Organization and country: Institute of Community Reporters Target group: People with disabilities, those experiencing economic hardship, people with mental ill health Age group: 21-67 Context / Learning environment: Online References, Link to the practices: https://communityreporter.net/covidconversations Short description

During 2020, members of the Community Reporting movement gathered stories from across Europe of people's experiences of the COVID-19 crisis. With a focus on supporting people who are often the least resourced and less likely to be in positions of power, the stories that are a part of the #COVIDConversations project represent everyday experiences of communities across Europe. It is important that these voices those that are often unheard - are part of this on-going narrative and involved as active actors in rebuilding our future. To provide an equitable platform in which often unheard voices can be not only part of the conversation around COVID-19, but also key actors in how we rebuild our communities post-pandemic.

How did the conversations engage citizens/learner?

It provides a space for people to share their experiences and set the agenda of the conversation It provides space for Community Reporters to engage with their peer groups.

Which co-creation moments are included?

Participation in society: • Encourages participants to share experiences of life during the pandemic • Asks others to listen and understand these experiences and work with the knowledge Awareness as a citizen: • Promotes listening to other people’s experiences and cross-community learning Being involved in creating the method: • Members of the CR movement are cocreating how the project moves forward and is implemented Being involved in adapting and improving the method: • CR members have inputted into creating a guide for remote story gathering and are sharing learning on implementation with each other

Pedagogic/methodological aspects

The project uses Community Reporting as its underpinning methodology. However, what is unique about this project is that it has moved this practice online due to COVID-19 restrictions. This way of applying Community Reporting however could easily be used in a non-COVID-19 restricted environment as a way of engaging more voices in Community Reporting activities.

The Institute Of Community Reporters used blogs, emails and online meetings to invite Community Reporters to take part. Training workshops were offered in how to gather stories online and then the project followed the usual Community Reporter practice of story gathering and sense-making, followed by public dissemination events – albeit all carried out remotely.

The resulting stories are live on the Community Reporter website and impact is measured through feedback and People’s Voice Media’s own social impact report.

Practical information: What materials are needed: people, facilitator, ability to capture story within COVID restrictions Duration: As long as needed Group Size: Unlimited Level of difficulty for learners: Accessible to all

SWOT

Strength • Involves different people in a collective conversation • Promotes understanding through empathy • Provides different perspectives on the same issue Weakness • Only reaches people who our network currently is in contact with • Can only be done as much as people can give • One of many storytelling initiatives around COVID-19 and it is hard to show why what we do is different – we don’t have the presence and the marketing capacity Opportunities One of the principal opportunities of the practice. Threats • Online safeguarding • Digital exclusion

What kind of change is created?

There is no demonstrable change brought about by the practice yet as it’s too soon but some impacts that we have seen include:

• People being able to share their experiences and set the agenda

• Public and Third sector workers having the opportunity to hear how

COVID is impacting on communities

Which aspects are transferable?

The entire practice can be transferred across any and all sectors.

Stories of lockdowns

So far the Community Reporters have gathered 132 stories and the Institute Of Community Reporters has upskilled 15 members of the Community Reporter network. The Institute Of Community Reporters has also run an event for the public that engaged with 24 individuals who listened to people’s stories and discussed their own, while the stories and their insights have been used to inform workshops and knowledge exchanges, online chat shows, insight briefings and much more.

Conclusion

#COVID Conversations is an innovative smart practice because it provided a way to give marginalised people a voice at a time when they couldn’t so much as leave their houses and, in doing so, recorded a living history of an unprecedented time.

Games and Methods